On 22 September 2023 the Attorney-General announced the Australian Government’s response to the Final Report of the 2015 statutory review of the Personal Property Securities Act 2009 (the Whittaker Review). The Whittaker Review made 394 recommendations with the overarching objective of simplifying the personal property securities (PPS) framework. The government has developed a comprehensive reform package in response to these recommendations, which includes amendments to the Personal...More
The Australian Government is committed to improving the family law system so that it is accessible, safer, simpler to use, and delivers justice and fairness for all Australian families. The Government wants to make sure separating couples can better understand the decision-making framework used in family law to resolve their property and financial matters confidently and safely.
The release of the draft Family Law Amendment Bill (No. 2) 2023 (the exposure draft) is an opportunity to...More
On 2 March 2023, the Attorney-General, the Hon Mark Dreyfus KC MP, convened a national Roundtable (Roundtable) 1 with key stakeholders across all sectors of the personal insolvency system to better understand the pressure points and potential key areas for reform.
The Roundtable brought together 24 organisations from a wide range of sectors with an interest in personal insolvency, including credit, finance, accounting, legal sectors and consumer groups. The Roundtable provided an...More
The Open Government Partnership (OGP) is a multilateral initiative that aims to secure commitments from governments to promote transparency, empower citizens, fight corruption and harness new technologies to strengthen governance.
Why we are consulting
The Australian Government has delivered 2 National Action Plans (from 2016 to 2020), and now the Open Government Forum is working on the third National Action Plan (NAP3). The NAP3 will set out commitments by the Australian...More
In March 2022, the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI) Sub-Committee on Accreditation (the sub-committee) deferred the re-accreditation of the Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) as an ‘A’ status National Human Rights Institution (NHRI) for 18 months on the basis that the selection and appointment process for statutory appointees did not fully comply with the United Nations General Assembly Principles relating to the Status of National Institutions (the...More
Please read the following information carefully before starting the survey.
The Guidelines for NGOs: Working with trafficked people (NGO Guidelines) were developed by members of the National Roundtable on Human Trafficking and Slavery to help non-government organisations working with people who have experienced human trafficking, slavery or slavery-like practices, including forced marriage. We are updating the NGO Guidelines to ensure that they:
are aligned with and informed...More
We are seeking stakeholder views on a proposal to amend the Statutory Declarations Act 1959 and the Statutory Declarations Regulations 2018 to introduce new ways of executing Commonwealth statutory declarations.
Why we are consulting
The Australian Government introduced temporary measures allowing electronic execution of Commonwealth statutory declarations in response to the COVID‑19 pandemic. This allows you to make a Commonwealth statutory declaration by applying an electronic...More
As part of the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022-2032 , the Australian Government announced funding to support a nationally coordinated approach to education and training on family, domestic and sexual violence for community frontline workers, health professionals, and the justice sector. This funding included $0.9 million over 4 years to develop and deliver continuing professional development (CPD) training for legal practitioners on coercive control.
The...More
On 20 April 2023 the Attorney-General announced public consultation on proposed reforms of Australia’s anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing (AML/CTF) regime.
The Australian Government is committed to protecting the integrity of the Australian financial system and improving Australia’s AML/CTF regime to ensure it is fit-for-purpose, responds to the evolving threat environment, and meets international standards set by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the...More
On 16 December 2022, the Government announced reform to Australia’s system of administrative review. This reform will abolish the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) and establish a new federal administrative review body. The reform will also include a transparent, merit-based system of appointments.
We have released an Issues Paper seeking views on the development of a new federal administrative review body.
The survey below will take about 15 minutes and invites feedback...More
On 16 December 2022, the Government announced reform to Australia’s system of administrative review. This reform will abolish the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) and establish a new federal administrative review body. The reform will also include a transparent, merit-based system of appointments.
We have released an Issues Paper seeking views on the development of a new federal administrative review body. The Issues Paper asks 67 questions about a wide range of matters including...More
Every Australian deserves to live free from violence.
The Australian Government is committed to working with state and territory governments to improve the experiences of victims and survivors of sexual assault in the criminal justice systems across Australia. Victims and survivors continue to face barriers, and potential exposure to further trauma, when choosing to seek justice through the criminal justice system. These barriers to access justice are complex and unique to each...More
We are carrying out a review of secrecy provisions across Commonwealth laws. This review will address concerns raised by multiple reviews about the number, inconsistency, appropriateness and complexity of Commonwealth secrecy offences.
We have released a consultation paper seeking views on the operation of secrecy provisions, including:
what principles should govern the framing of general and specific secrecy offences in Commonwealth legislation
whether any general or...More
On 3 February 2023, National Cabinet tasked Police Ministers to report back to National Cabinet in mid-2023 with options to implement a National Firearms Register.
The primary objective of a register would be to preserve community and police safety, by ensuring police have the timely and accurate information necessary to assess the firearms risk an individual poses, and protect the community from harm.
A register could also have a range of other benefits, including:
...More
Please note this consultation has now closed. Submissions received will be published shortly.
For more information on the Australian Government’s justice reinvestment commitments, including the National Justice Reinvestment Program and Justice Reinvestment in Central Australia Program, visit the Justice reinvestment page of our website.
More than 30 years after the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody, First Nations peoples remain over-represented at every point in...More
The Respect@Work: Sexual Harassment National Inquiry Report (2020) (Respect@Work Report) found that sexual harassment is a pervasive and widespread issue in Australian workplaces. It made 55 recommendations addressed to the Australian Government, states and territories, employers and industry groups to prevent and address sexual harassment in Australian workplaces.
The recommendations relate to 5 key areas of focus:
data and research
primary prevention
workplace...More
We are conducting a review of 4 legislative instruments made under the Native Title Act 1993 (Cth) (NT Act), which are due to sunset on 1 October 2023. These instruments are:
Native Title (Federal Court) Regulations 1998
Native Title (Tribunal) Regulations 1993
Native Title (Indigenous Land Use Agreements) Regulations 1999
Native Title (Notices) Determination 2011 (No.1)
The instruments support native title application and agreement-making mechanisms...More
On 16 February 2023, the Attorney-General publicly released the Privacy Act Review Report .
The Privacy Act Review Report was informed by feedback received in response to an Issues Paper released in October 2020 and a Discussion Paper , released in October 2021. Submissions to those consultation papers are available:
Discussion paper submissions
Issues paper submissions
Feedback is being sought on the Government response to the Privacy Act Review Report. The...More
How the ETA regulates e-commerce in Australia
When you sign a contract using an electronic signature, click 'I accept' on online T&Cs, or send an important document by email – how can you be sure that what you are doing is legally valid?
The Electronic Transactions Act 1999 (Cth) (ETA) is an Australian law which lets valid electronic transactions take place. Simply put – it says that any legal requirement to sign, send or record written information or documents, can generally be...More
The Australian Government is carrying out a targeted review of modern slavery offences in Divisions 270 and 271 of the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth) (the Criminal Code).
This initiative recognises strong criminal justice responses are important to combat modern slavery, ensuring Australia's justice frameworks continue to support effective disruption, investigation and prosecution outcomes. This targeted review supports the government's commitment to strengthen modern slavery responses at...More
Copyright, as a type of property founded on a person's creative skill and labour, protects the original form or way an idea or information is expressed (but not the idea or information itself). Some common forms of copyright material include:
writing
movies and TV shows
visual art and images
music
video games.
Copyright underpins the vibrancy and value of Australia’s creative industries and supports innovation across many other sectors of the economy. A...More
The Australian Government wants to make sure the best interests of children are prioritised and placed at the centre of the family law system. The release of the draft Family Law Amendment Bill 2023 (the exposure draft) is an opportunity for the community to provide feedback on the proposed amendments that aim to achieve this outcome. The Bill will primarily amend the Family Law Act 1975 (Cth) (Family Law Act), with some consequential amendments to the Federal Circuit and Family Court of...More
The Australian Government is considering the merits and design of a federal judicial commission that could independently examine and deal with complaints made to it about federal judges. This scoping work was announced by the Attorney-General, the Hon Mark Dreyfus KC MP, on 25 October 2022 in the context of the 2022-23 Budget.
On 29 September 2022, the Government published its response to the Australian Law Reform Commission’s (ALRC) 2021 report, Without Fear or Favour: Judicial...More
The Modern Slavery Act 2018 (Cth) commenced on 1 January 2019 and complements Australia’s comprehensive criminal justice response to modern slavery.
The Act was established through extensive consultations with the Australian business community and civil society. Under the Act, large businesses and other entities operating in Australia must report annually on how they are addressing modern slavery risks in their domestic and global operations and supply chains.
The Australian...More
You can contribute to a shared national understanding of coercive control by providing your feedback on the Consultation Draft of the National Principles to Address Coercive Control using the survey link below.
Safety information
This consultation is about family and domestic violence, including coercive control. If you think someone may be checking the websites you visit or using technology in other ways to monitor you, you may wish to find out how you can browse more safely ...More
The Federal Court of Australia Amendment (Extending Criminal Jurisdiction and Other Measures) Bill (the Bill) supports the expansion of the Federal Court of Australia's (Federal Court's) jurisdiction in relation to corporate crime.
Schedule 1, Part 1 of the Bill confers jurisdiction on the Federal Court to hear a range of indictable and summary corporate crime offences within the regulatory remit of the Australian Securities and Investments Commission. These amendments would enhance...More
The Australian Government’s first Implementation Plan under the National Agreement on Closing the Gap included an announcement to provide funding for culturally safe and appropriate family dispute resolution for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families. Family dispute resolution (FDR) is a type of mediation delivered under the Family Law Act 1975 to help separated or separating families formulate their own agreements about parenting and property matters. It is done with the...More
View submitted responses where consent has been given to publish the response.
In 2018, the Government commissioned the National Inquiry into Sexual Harassment in Australian Workplaces, conducted by the Sex Discrimination Commissioner, Kate Jenkins. The product of this inquiry – the Respect@Work: Sexual Harassment National Inquiry Report (2020) (Respect@Work Report) – found that sexual harassment is a pervasive and widespread issue in Australian workplaces. The Respect@Work Report...More
We have now published submissions for this consultation.
In January 2021, the Australian Government undertook public consultation on possible changes to the bankruptcy system, to inform its ongoing response to address the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
As part of this consultation, the government met with key stakeholders and sought public submissions on topics raised in a discussion paper. The discussion paper provided an overview of 4 elements of the Bankruptcy Act 1966 to...More
Review of confidentiality protections for people engaging with royal commissions
We have conducted a review of the Royal Commissions Act 1902 (Cth) to examine any issues or impediments to people coming forward and sharing sensitive information with a royal commission.
We developed this consultation to enable members of the public to provide feedback on their experiences with a royal commission to help inform this review.
Discussion questions
We suggested considering the...More